The Life She Chose
by LoneWolf 227
Summary: Ty Lee ran away to join the circus,then Azula persuaded her to leave and join her in hunting the Avatar. Then somehow, she ended up with these people. Life is weird, huh? AngTy
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the Avatar series. If I did I wouldn't be writing a story about it on the internet now would I?

* * *

Ty Lee sighed to herself. Here she was, out in the woods with her two companions chasing the Avatar and his friends once again. After a while it started to get a little tedious with all the chasing and fighting. 

Not that she didn't enjoy being reunited with her old friends from the Royal Fire Academy for Girls; she just wished it was under different circumstances.

Truth be told, she didn't like the war that was going on currently between the four nations. She hated the fact that her nation was responsible for all the death and suffering.

In fact, that's why she had run away and joined the circus, to get away from it all. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy and carefree. Her aura had never been pinker.

Of course, that happiness was to be short lived when her friend Azula showed up and requested her assistance in hunting down the fugitives Zuko and Iroh. She declined at first, explaining that she wanted to stay and how happy she was being there. To her great surprise, Azula did not protest and stated that she would watch her performance before she left.

That made Ty Lee uneasy. When Azula wanted something she didn't stop until she got it, no matter what the cost. Her suspicions were confirmed when all hell broke loose the night of the show. Burning nets and dangerous animals on the loose was not something she wanted to go through again.

So she agreed to help her friend, stating that the universe was giving her strong hints that it was time for a career change.

But she knew the real reason behind her decision. Azula probably would have done a whole lot worse if the young acrobat had not agreed to come with her right then and there. She didn't want to put her circus friends in any more danger.

Although she couldn't say her current life wasn't interesting, that was for sure.

"Well, I guess some things aren't meant to be." she said to herself.

"What are you mumbling about?"

Ty Lee snapped out of her train of thought and glanced over at her friend Mai who was looking at the acrobat with usual emotionless expression.

"Oh nothing." Ty Lee replied with a grin on her face.

Mai's only response to that was to roll her eyes and resume twirling the throwing knife around her finger.

"So what do you think Azula's up to?" the younger girl asked while doing cartwheels.

Mai just shrugged her shoulders.

"I mean she went to go scout the area, but that was a little while ago. I wonder if she's ok."

"I don't care what she's up to as long she gets here soon. I'm getting bored sitting around doing nothing." Mai said.

"You're always bored. What else is new?" Ty Lee replied.

"I am not always bored. When there's something to do, it isn't boring anymore." Mai stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh. That makes sense………I think." the young acrobat said while still keeping her grin on her face.

Ty Lee stood there for a moment before her face suddenly lit up.

"I know what we can do until Azula comes back!" she exclaimed.

"No." Mai said calmly

Ty Lee blinked. "But you haven't even heard what I was about to suggest yet."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not something I want to do."

"You're bored and want something to do right? Just hear me out? She pleaded.

Mai stopped twirling the knife in her hand and looked right at her.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this but what is it?"

Ty Lee clasped her hands together and said, "Let's do each other's hair!"

There was a long and awkward pause. If you looked closely, you could see Mai's left eye twitch slightly.

"Like I said before, no."

"Oh, ok." Ty Lee said dejectedly while hanging her head. Of course she wasn't one to give up so easily. She turned her face into a pout and hugged herself, beginning to sniffle as if she was on the verge of crying.

Mai was aware of her little act and turned her away, trying to ignore her as best she could. But it really wasn't easy to do since Ty Lee was making sure she was being heard. After a few moments Mai couldn't take it anymore.

"Will you stop that? That's really annoying." she said with slight irritation in her voice.

"I-I'm sorry." she stammered. "I-I just t-thought we could do something fun together. Y-you know, t-to pass the time."

_"Don't fall for it Mai." _the pessimistic teen thought to herself. 

"You're like m-my best f-friend and all, so I figured it would nice to have a little bonding time. But I guess the feeling isn't mutual………" she trailed off, putting her hands on her face for an added effect.

_"Damn"_ she sighed inwardly. 

"Ok, fine I'll do it. If you'll stop trying to make me feel like a horrible person." she said in defeat.

Ty Lee's mood suddenly did a complete 180. She ran over to Mai and wrapped her in a big hug, much to Mai's dismay.

"Thanks Mai! I knew you liked me! Were going to have so much fun, I promise!" Ty Lee said happily.

Mai could only shudder inwardly.

_

* * *

In another part of the woods _

"Toph! Come on! Everyone has been doing there share of work and you haven't even lifted a finger to help!" Katara said angrily.

"Look Sugar Queen." responded the blind earthbender. "You guys don't need my help and I don't need yours. I got by in life on my own, always have, always will."

"This isn't about being independent; this is about pulling your own weight around here!"

While the two girls were arguing, Aang and Sokka sat by the fire, with Aang watching the argument and Sokka setting up the tents.

"Don't you think we should stop them?" the young airbender asked.

Sokka took a minute to stop what he was doing and glance over at the two girls, then went back to his work.

Naw, just let them do their own thing." he said. "You don't want to get in the middle of two girls fighting. Especially if you're a guy."

Aang tilted his head in slight confusion. "Why is that?"

"I don't know. It's like whenever girls get angry, all guys suddenly become the lowest scum in the universe. Especially when that time of the month rolls around." he mumbled to himself.

"Time of the month? What happens when that comes? Aang asked curiously.

"Uh, nothing! Forget I said anything." the young warrior said hastily.

Aang just shrugged his shoulders and went back to watching the argument, which seemed to be coming to a boiling point.

"You are just so selfish!" the waterbender shouted. "You don't think of anyone but yourself!"

"Yeah, well you're a bossy little Miss-Know-It-All!" Toph shot back. "You think everyone should have to listen to what you say like you're the leader of this group! Last time I checked, Twinkle Toes was the Avatar, not you Sugar Queen!"

Katara had a look of disbelief on her face. "I am not bossy! I just try to look out for everyone's well being! Unlike you!"

"I don't need you acting like a mother to me. I got enough of that at home!"

"Well, I'm glad I'm not your mother! I couldn't put up with a spoiled little brat like you!"

If Toph had any restraint left, it was all gone in that moment. She stomped her foot on the ground and caused a pillar of earth to rise underneath the unsuspecting water bender and sent her flying into the nearby river.

Aang and Sokka could only stand there with their jaws wide, trying to process in their minds what had just happened.

Toph gave a smirk of satisfaction and stomped off into the woods.

"Toph wait! Where are you going?" Sokka called to her.

"A walk." the girl called back. "Anyone who tries to follow me will join Sugar Queen over there."

A half soaked Katara made her way back to dry land, glaring at the direction Toph took off.

"Fine! Leave! See if I care!" she grumbled.

"Katara, are you ok?" Aang asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just………I'm just going to go dry up and get some water to boil." she stated in a tired voice.

Sokka sighed. "Well, at least that's over."

"I hope Toph will be alright." the Avatar said with concern.

"Don't worry. Toph's a tough gal, she'll be fine." his older friend assured him.

"I hope you're right Sokka."

* * *

Ty Lee couldn't remember the last time she feared for her life. Well actually, she could. The whole incident with Azula and the circus was still fresh in her mind. 

But she really didn't need to be dwelling in the past right now. At the moment, the current threat was right in front of her with numerous sharp weapons at her disposal.

"Come on Mai." pleaded the terrified girl. "You're hair really looks great! It really does!"

"You are so dead." responded Mai, who was slowly closing in on her soon-to-be-deceased friend.

It was amazing how intimidating Mai could be right now considering what she looked like. Her hair was, according to her, a complete disaster. Ty Lee had managed to put her hair into curly locks (A/N: think of Shirley Temple). To make things even worse, she added a pink bow at the top of her head.

Who knows where she got it from. It was like she carried one around for just such an occasion. Needless to say, Mai wasn't very happy when she saw herself in the mirror.

The acrobat was now backed up against the tree behind her with nowhere to go. She had no choice but to plead with the adorably menacing girl in front of her one more time.

"I'm you're friend Mai, remember? You wouldn't kill me over a little hairdo, would you?"

Mai stopped her pursuit for a moment and seemed to think about her comment for a second.

"Yes! Maybe I got through to her!"

No sooner had she thought that, a small smirk appeared on Mai's face.

"Yes, I would." came the simple reply.

_"Or maybe I didn't."_ she thought dejectedly. 

Fortunately for Ty Lee though, luck seemed to be on her side at that moment.

"Mai! Ty Lee! Enough of this foolishness!" a stern voice called out to them.

Both girls turned to see the third companion of their group, Princess Azula, walking toward them. Ty Lee took the momentary distraction to get out of range of Mai's grasp.

"Azula, you're back!" Ty Lee said happily. "What were you doing out there for so long?"

"Searching for Avatar's group, which I just so happened to find." she answered with a cruel smirk on her face. "And to make things even better, there seems to be disharmony among a few of them. This makes our job a lot easier. Get everything together, we're going after them now."

"Roger!" Ty Lee saluted, making sure to avoid Mai until the whole thing blew over.

"Finally, something to do. I wish you had come back sooner, otherwise I could have avoided this." Mai complained, referring to her unusual hairstyle.

The fire princess stared at her for a moment with an eyebrow raised.

"Mai, you look ridiculous."

Mai rolled eyes.

"Tell me something I don't know."

End of chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I realized I didn't really set a timeline for this. Judging by the whole Katara/Toph argument I would say it probably starts with "The Chase". But obviously it was different from the regular episode, mainly just to set up the next chapter and so on.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar series.

* * *

"I'm worried about Toph. She's been gone for a while." Aang said. 

"Yeah, I'm getting worried about her too." Katara said.

Sokka couldn't help but look mildly surprised.

"You're actually worried about her?" he asked.

"Of course I'm worried about her!" she snapped. "What do you think I am? Cold hearted?"

Sokka put his hands up defensively.

"Hey, sorry. It's just after that little fight you two had I kinda assumed you would still be upset and everything."

Katara's eyes softened as she turned her gaze back to the fire.

"But that doesn't mean I want something bad to her. I know I was upset with her earlier and-

"Don't forget saying really mean things to her." he interjected.

She frowned. "You really know how to rub it in don't you."

Her brother grinned in response. "Yup. Wants the point of being a big brother if I can't make my sister feel miserable?"

The answer to his question was responded with a simple slapped to the head.

"Ow!"

Aang rolled his eyes at the two siblings while getting up and dusting himself off.

"I'm going to go look for Toph." he announced.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Katara asked.

"No, that's ok. I'll be fine." the young airbender assured her. "Besides, someone has to stay here and make sure that Sokka doesn't eat all the food again."

The female waterbender couldn't help but give a small giggle at her friend's comment, much to her brother's dismay.

"Oh come on!" the warrior complained. "It was only one time! A moment of weakness! Give a guy a break!"

Aang couldn't resist the urge to laugh either. Of his laughter was cut short when he felt the ground rumbling underneath him.

"You guys feel that?" he asked.

"Yeah. What in the world could it be?" Sokka responded.

"I think were about to find out." Katara informed them.

No sooner had she that when a large black, train-like vehicle with three compartments came barreling into the clearing and came to an almost immediate halt in front of the group.

"What the heck is that?" Aang asked.

"I don't know, but I really think it's a bad idea to stay and find out." Sokka answered nervously.

"I agree with Sokka. We need to get out of here now." Katara firmly stated.

All three of them headed toward Appa and climbed aboard, all of them except Aang that is.

"You guys go ahead. I have to find Toph." said the young airbender.

"What!" Katara exclaimed. "Aang! We can't leave you behind! We-

But she stopped her sentence when the middle compartment of the machine opened up, a ramp coming down afterwards. When the ramp hit the ground, three people walked down it.

"Oh great. It's those Fire Nation girls from Omahsu." Sokka groaned.

Aang decided not to waste anymore time by arguing.

"I'll be fine! Just get going!" he shouted while patting Appa on his side. "Appa! Yip! Yip!"

When hearing those words the great air bison let out groan and took to the air, leaving the Avatar to face the three girls alone.

"Aang!" Katara cried.

"Katara, Aang know what he's doing. We have to trust him." Sokka assured her.

Katara gave a defeated sigh. She it wasn't like Aang to leave a friend behind, and she wanted to know Toph was safe too. Still, it stop her from worrying.

"Please be careful Aang." she whispered to herself.

Aang was thinking the same thing about his two friends. Of course he also realized that he should be worrying about himself at the moment, given the threat right in front of him.

"Protecting your friends from harm Avatar. How noble of you." Azula said with mock amazement.

"Well, it's kinda what I do. I am the Avatar after all." he said with a sheepish grin on his face. Which was odd, considering the current situation he was in.

Azula ignored the airbenders idiotic comment and took a few steps forward.

"You can save yourself a lot of pain and trouble by surrendering and coming with us." she offered.

"I don't know why you bothered to ask that. You know he's not going to do it. They never do." Mai informed her.

The Fire princess shot a glare back at her, which Mai just shrugged off, and then returned her attention to their target.

Ty Lee was amazed at how Mai could talk to Azula like that. On top of that, she didn't even flinch when Azula gave her that cold stare. Ty Lee had a feeling that if she said that she would have been dead meat.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Aang speak.

"You're friend is right. I can't really bring peace to the world if I'm locked up." he chuckled slightly.

Azula smirked.

"Have it your way Avatar. To be honest, I was hoping to cause you a lot of pain anyhow."

Wasting no further words shot a blast of blue flames towards the young air bender, which he narrowly avoided by back flipping up into the trees. Knowing he was outnumbered and that fighting wasn't a priority anyway since he had to find Toph, he took off into the forest.

"Spread out and go after him." she ordered. "When you find him, capture and immobilize him. If you have to, use lethal force if _necessary._"

She put emphasis on the last part, meaning it didn't really matter to her if was dead or alive.

"You mean…kill him?" Ty Lee gasped slightly.

"Yes, Ty Lee. What else does it mean?" Azula asked while frowning at her friend's ignorance. "Is that a problem?"

"N-no. I just didn't know we were going that far. That's all." she answered.

Truth be told, the thought of killing someone made her really uncomfortable, even if it was an enemy.

"Good. Now go."

The three girls took off in separate directions into the forest, with Ty Lee really hoping she didn't come across him first.

But then again, if she did get to him first she could just hit his pressure points and immobilize him. That way they could just capture him and bring him back to the Fire Nation.

Of course there was the possibility that one of the other girls got to him first. Mai probably wouldn't make the effort since it wasn't necessary, and Azula……he would probably be screwed.

Why did she care anyway? He was the Avatar, enemy to the Fire Nation. She shouldn't be worried about whether he's alive or not. But she couldn't help it, he didn't deserve to die. Things were suddenly so complicated now.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she mumbled to herself.

* * *

Toph couldn't help but be amazed at how you could run into someone in the weirdest places. She had been walking through the forest when she felt someone approaching her. 

She didn't recognize the footsteps as being one of her friends so she attacked whoever it was. The person gave up immediately, and it was then that she realized it was Iroh. After apologizing to him, he offered her tea.

She here she was now having tea with this old guy on a small cliff, and despite her protest he poured her tea for her.

"You don't think I can take care of myself can you?" she asked.

"What do mean?" Iroh asked.

"You poured my tea for me, like I couldn't do it on my own."

Iroh chuckled lightly.

"No dear. I simply poured your tea for you because I wanted to. I'd also be a bad host if I didn't."

Toph sighed.

"Everyone thinks I'm helpless, like I need to be taken care of. Even my friends treat me the same way."

"You sound just like my nephew." Iroh said while taking a sip of tea.

"Your nephew?" the earthbender asked.

"Yes. He always feels like he has to do everything on his own, refusing to receive help when it is offered to him. That's why I've been tracking him ever since we parted ways. So that whenever he needs my help, I'll be right there for him."

"Wow, you must care about him a lot."

Iroh smiled sadly.

"Yes, he's like a son to me."

Although Toph couldn't see his face, she could tell by the sound of his voice that there was sadness behind it. There must have been some kind of back story behind it, but decided it was better not to ask.

"You don't have to do everything on your own Toph." the old firebender explained. "Your friends want to help you because their your friends, and care about you."

She had to admit that did make sense. Now that she thought about it, Katara only wanted her to help out. If she really did think Toph was helpless, she wouldn't ask her to help with anything.

Great, now she felt like an idiot and a big jerk at the same time. She shook away those thoughts for the moment and stood up.

"Thank you Iroh. I'm going to go back to find my friends." she said and started to walk away. But before she left she stopped and turned her back slightly.

"You know, your nephew is lucky to have someone like you looking out for him."

Iroh just smiled as she walked off.

* * *

A lone figure ran through the forest, hoping to find who he had been looking for. Not to long ago he had been following the tracks of that big machine which lead him to a campsite. 

Judging by the way everything like pots and tents were still there, the people were force to leave in a hurry.

More than likely, it had to be the Avatar's group since he knew they were in the general area.

What he was curious about was who had been in that big machine. He did have his suspicions about who it could be, but he hoped he was wrong.

He didn't need to deal with that kind of situation right now. He really needed to focus on finding the Avatar.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if his plans would be put on hold. He came to an immediate stop when he saw the person in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with hostility.

* * *

Aang cut through the forest as quickly as he could, hoping he had lost his pursuers. He needed to find Toph before they did, then figure out how to escape.

He slowed pace down to catch his breath, coming into a small clearing with a pond.

"Maybe I shouldn't have overdone it." he panted.

He knelt down by the pond and splashed his face with water. He figured it was safe enough to stop for a quick breather.

He tried to process in his mind what had just happened in the last hour. Who were those girls back there, especially the one he had barely escaped from back in Omahsu? Why were they after him?

Well, he already knew the answer to that question. Still, it wasn't a good idea to linger here out in the open. As he stood up he heard a twig snap behind him, making him freeze.

The Avatar didn't want to look behind him, but his curiosity got the better of him. Who knows? Maybe it was Toph?

He turned around to see who it was.

"Uh oh." he muttered.

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

* * *

A/N: Who found Aang first? Hmm…that's a good question. Yup, I am that evil. Deal with it. Ha ha ha! 


	3. Chapter 3

So it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry, writer's block. I know where I'm going with this story, it's just the matter of how to get there, the in between. I tend to get very picky about how I write, and the fact that there is only one other story of this couple on here doesn't help. I'm trying to make up my own ideas without borrowing from that one, but it's not that easy. Oh well.

I don't own the Avatar series. Duh.

* * *

'Uh oh.' Aang thought to himself. The situation wasn't looking very good at the moment. He was tired, and one of those Fire Nation girls had caught up to him. 

Luckily it wasn't the one who shot blue fire, but he really didn't know much about this one. She could be just as dangerous, or worse. Seeing as how running wasn't doing any good, he pulled out his staff and readied himself.

"Looks like I found you." the girl said.

She didn't seem hostile towards him, but it could've been a ploy to throw him off his guard.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "And why are you after me?"

"Oh, right! Sorry! I guess I should introduce myself." she said sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. "Um, my name is Ty Lee and I'm after you because you're the Avatar and Azula wants us to capture you."

"Uh, ok." Aang responded. He didn't think her answer would be straightforward and to the point. Usually people don't say anything or tend to be vague with their answers. "Well then, my name is Aang."

Maybe if he could keep this going he would be able to give himself some time to recover.

"Nice to meet you Aang." the acrobat responded.

Aang was a little confused with her cheery personality. And even more confused by the fact that she hadn't attacked him yet. There was a little awkward silence before she finally spoke up again.

"Listen, I don't have anything against you personally but I have to bring you to Azula."

"Why?" he asked. It was a stupid question since he already knew the answer, but anything to stall for time.

If Ty Lee thought it was a stupid question, she didn't give any indication of it. In fact, she seemed to ponder it for a moment.

"Well, because she ordered us to." she answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But do you want to?" That question seemed to catch her by surprise, as she stepped back a little.

"W-what? What do you mean?" Now he seemed to be getting somewhere.

"I mean do you really want to capture me?" he asked while lowering his staff, still keeping his eyes on her.

Ty Lee shifted uncomfortably with her feet. She didn't think he would start asking all these questions. Wait. Why was she even talking to him? She probably could've taken him out from the start. Was she afraid to fight him?

He is the Avatar after all, one who can master all four elements. She couldn't put her finger on it. She was broken out of her thoughts when he spoke up again.

"Uh, hello? Are you going to answer me?" He didn't think his question was that difficult. Maybe he should've worded it differently.

"Well, I don't want to kill you if that's what you mean." she finally answered. 'Why did I tell him that?!'

"She ordered you to kill me?" he almost shouted. That really shouldn't have been much of a surprise.

"No! Well, she did say she really didn't care if we decided to though." Again, she wondered why she was telling him this. She probably didn't want to scare him.

'No, you just want to turn him in to the nation of his enemies. That will make him feel real better.' she thought.

"But you don't want to right?" he asked hopefully.

She looked into his eyes. They were so innocent and carefree, only wanting to enjoy life to its fullest. Just like her.

Even if she wanted to kill him, which she doubted anyhow, she probably wouldn't have been able to do it.

"No. I've never killed anyone, and I really don't want to start now."

Aang let out a sigh of relief. "Wow! Thanks!" he laughed. "You're a lot nicer than your other friend. I'm glad you found me and not her!"

Luckily for Ty Lee, it was dark enough so Aang couldn't see the small blush on her cheeks.

"W-well, thanks." was all she could say.

"Well, I should get going now. I have to get back to my friends and all." he waved and turned around to leave.

"Y-yeah, sure." she mumbled, not paying attention to his comment until it finally clicked. 'Hey! Wait a second!'

When she realized he was trying to leave, she quickly ran behind him and hit the pressure points in his knees, causing him to cry out and fall to the ground.

"I said I wasn't going to kill you! I didn't mean I was going let you escape!" she said frantically.

"It was worth a shot." he laughed nervously while trying to lift him up.

"Sorry, but if I let you go Azula would kill me. And she would probably kill you if she found you out there." she explained, kneeling down next to him.

Aang finally managed to turn himself over and onto his back. When he caught his breath he decided to speak.

"But if you bring me to her, won't she kill me anyway?" he asked

Ty Lee started to answer, but no words came to her. She hadn't thought about that. If she brought him back to Azula would she take him back to the Fire Lord, or kill him right then?

Considering that he was the Avatar, death seemed eminent in either case.

But what could she do? If she let him escape and Azula found out, she'd be a goner. But handing him over to the fire princess would be like killing him herself, which she just told him she wasn't going to do. Go against Azula or let the Avatar, enemy of the fire nation, go free?

That's a question that many people of her nation wouldn't even dare think, much less have trouble deciding on what the answer was.

Aang could tell she was struggling with the idea for a moment. He suddenly felt bad for putting her in this dilemma, and knowing she would get in trouble if it was known that she let him go made him fell even worse. This girl might have been an enemy, but she didn't seem like a bad person.

"Hey don't worry about it," he assured her, "I'm the Avatar, it's not like I haven't been captured before. But in the end I've always managed to escape thanks to my friends."

"Really?" Ty Lee looked at him curiously.

"Yeah!" Aang gave her a huge grin. "I'm sure they would be able to rescue me before anything could happen." Was he being overly optimistic? Not in his mind he wasn't.

"You've got a lot of faith in your friends huh?" she asked while standing up and brushing her pants legs off.

"We've been through a lot together. It's just a natural thing I guess. You'd trust your friends to help you out if your life was in danger, right?"

"Of course I'd trust them to rescue me." Mai would, although she would probably deny that she would if you asked her. Azula? That's a really good question. "We did grow up together in school after all."

"There you go. So when you think about it you've got nothing to worry about."

Even though his words did sound reassuring, there was something still nagging her in the back of her head. Maybe she could risk letting him go, as long as Azula didn't find out. Be responsible for someone's death was something she didn't think she could live with.

"Ok, I've decided." she announced, "I'm going let you escape."

The Avatar's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Are you sure about that? Won't you get in trouble?"

"Not if you if you hurry and get out of here quick. I'll keep a look out and you can make a run for it."

"Thanks, but-

"No 'buts'! Hurry up!" the acrobat said in a hurry.

"That's not what I-

"Geez! Are you trying to get us both killed? Go!"

"But!"

"Go!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?!"

"You took out my legs remember?"

"Oh," Ty Lee blushed in embarrassment. How did she forget that? "Right, sorry."

"So what do we do now?" Aang asked.

Ty Lee desperately tried to think of a solution. It would be a while before he could move again, and she couldn't just carry him off somewhere. She had no idea where to take him.

"Well I guess I could-Ah!" she cried out as her body was suddenly wrapped in side a small earth prison.

Aang turned his head smiled when he saw who was heading towards him.

"Toph! You're ok!" he exclaimed.

"Of course I'm ok Twinkle toes," the blind earth bender replied with a confident smirk. "Wish I could say the same for you."

Aang laughed. "Yeah, I am kinda in a predicament aren't I? We got ambushed and I led them away from Katara and Sokka."

"Why didn't you just leave with them?"

"Well, I had to find you."

"Aww, I'm so touched that you'd risk your life to come out here and find me." she said in a really girly voice.

"Hey, it's what friends do." he smiled.

"I take it this is one of your ambushers." She pointed towards the girl currently trapped in a mound of earth.

"Um, hi there," was all Ty Lee could think of to say at the moment. She had never seen this person before.

"Oh yeah, this is um…"he trailed off.

"Ty Lee."

"Right! This is Ty Lee. She's from the Fire nation, but she's actually a pretty nice person."

Once again, Ty Lee was thankful that it was dark out as she felt that small blush creep up on her face again.

"So I noticed when I was listening to you two." Toph said.

"Hey, if you were out there listening why didn't you come out sooner?" Aang questioned.

Toph shrugged. "Your conversation was too interesting to interrupt. Besides, I was ready to step in if she was going to take you away."

"Oh."

"Um, was it necessary to trap me in here?" Ty Lee asked.

"Probably not, but it does give you an excuse on how Twinkle toes here got away. Just think of it as a favor for helping him get away."

"I guess that makes sense." She then had a sudden thought and turned her head towards Aang. "Is your name really Twinkle toes/"

"What? No!" he said frantically while waving his arms, "That's just a nickname she gave me. She gave the others nicknames too! My real name is Aang!"

Ty Lee giggled at his embarrassment. "That's a nice name."

Now it was Aang's turn to blush. "You think so?"

Toph rolled her eyes. They seemed to have forgotten what the main priority was at the moment.

"I hate to break up this cute little moment you two are having, but someone is heading this way and I don't think it's a good idea for us to stay here."

She picked up Aang and hoisted him over her shoulder. No one could ever say she was a weak little girl.

"Were out of here." she said.

"Hold on! Are you going to leave me like this?" Ty Lee asked.

"Don't worry. I'm sure whoever that is will help you. Maybe." she smirked. Where had she seen that look before? "Come on Twinkle toes let's go." she started to run off deeper into the forest.

"Uh, bye Ty Lee! And thanks!" Aang called back to her as he was being carried off.

"Yeah, bye." she muttered.

He was gone, and safe, which is what she set out to do. Well actually, she set out to keep him alive. She didn't think she would try and help him escape. Weird thing was, she was actually happy he got away. Now she just had to figure out how to get out of her own dilemma.

Luckily for her it seemed her prayers had been answered as Mai ran into the clearing, stopping and seeing her friend trapped up to her neck in dirt.

"Mai!" she cried happily. "I am so glad to see you!"

If Mai wasn't the type of person she was, she might have busted out laughing. Instead she just settled for raising an eyebrow.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

Ty Lee laughed nervously. "Oh well, I had caught the Avatar but it turns out he had an earth bender friend that caught me off guard and rescued him." It was mostly the truth.

"Great, now Azula is going to throw a fit when we get back. I'm so looking forward to that." Mai groaned.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can catch Aang next time."

"Aang?" Mai asked.

"Oh. That's the Avatar's name."

Mai stared at her for a moment, making Ty Lee a little nervous. "What?"

"Since when did you start calling the Avatar by his name?"

"Um, just now?"

Mai didn't say anything. More than likely she figured a response wasn't needed.

"B-but never mind that. Could you help me out of here?"

"Yeah, whatever." As Mai started towards her friend to help she suddenly stopped, a small smirk growing on her face.

"Mai?" Ty Lee asked. That smile couldn't be good.

"You know I was going to help you out, but then I suddenly remembered this," she indicated by pointing to her curly hair.

Ty Lee's eyes widened in horror. "Mai! You wouldn't!"

"Yes. I would." she responded and started to leave.

"Mai! Don't leave me here! I didn't mean any harm by it. I still think it looks good." Ty Lee called out.

"Well, I don't."

" Come on! I'm sorry!"

Mai kept walking.

"Mai!" Ty Lee cried.

**

* * *

**Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Zuko and the others. I just wanted to get a chapter up, let Aang and Ty Lee have their small moment, and of course let Mai have her revenge. Will she leave her there? I'm the author, and even I don't know the answer to that question. 


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